Bettering Lives Outside of Offices, Too

Lauren Fox, Internal Communications Representative, Bayer U.S

I get a lot of satisfaction at work seeing the positive impact we have on the customers we serve every day at Bayer. That only gets stronger when we “take it outside”! Let me explain.

Friday, October 13, marked Bayer’s first Community Service “Impact” Day. 1,360 employee volunteers, 74 different projects and 55 organizations came together to serve food, repair homes, plant gardens, create beds and toys for hurricane-displaced pets and more! 14 Bayer sites around the U.S. took part. I coordinated Community Service activities at Bayer Crop Science Headquarters in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina and participated in events at our Kansas City, Missouri site.

Being a part of just two sites out of 14, I saw how deeply we were impacting those communities in just one day. It was amazing to know that the same impact was happening in communities across the U.S. And since the late summer and early fall months of this year seemed to be filled with devastating news, from the hurricane and wildfire catastrophes to the shooting in Last Vegas, we as Americans experienced a deep sense of heartache and feelings of not knowing where or how to help. Community Service Day served as an outlet for employees to turn heartache into positive energy for the greater good and to help better the lives of people in our communities.

In Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, we served hot meals at both Durham Rescue Mission’s men and women shelters. Homes in southeast Raleigh were built with Habitat for Humanity. Our Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) education program, Making Science Make Sense, hosted a Science Field Day at Reaching All Minds Academy where Kindergarten through 6th grade students took part in hands-on science experiments.

Being from the agriculture division of Bayer, it made sense that the last opportunity involved building a garden, chicken coop, and greenhouse with 4H of Wake County at AB Combs Elementary School. This project was to educate students about agriculture and to understand how food is grown.

In Kansas City, Missouri, similar activities took place. Canned food was collected and then packaged for a local food bank and homes of low-income, elderly, disabled or veteran homeowners were repaired.

We also built a greenhouse and cleared space for a community garden. Although the garden is located in the middle of the city, the neighborhood is considered to be a “food desert” with an overabundance of fast food options, but without enough fresh, healthy food options.

I think when anyone is involved in serving their community; the best part is seeing the impact for people. I saw greenhouses built in one day, knowing that people were going to be able to grow food in them this winter. I saw elementary students fascinated by science. I saw warm food being served to hungry people and food packages being prepared so families in need could have a full Thanksgiving meal. What I didn’t anticipate was seeing all the smiles on my colleague’s faces that day; genuinely enjoying the hard work. It made it very clear to me that bettering the lives of people is something we all truly enjoy, not only inside our laboratories, offices and manufacturing buildings, but out in our communities as well.